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This collection compiles the photos I shot while walking around San Francisco at night. Fishermans Wharf and Pier 39 feature prominently, along with some photos of various buildings.
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On my way out of Yosemite National Park I stopped for a hike through the Mariposa grove of giant sequoias (aka redwoods). They don’t grow as tall as the coastal redwoods, but they grow wider–some are so massive that their branches actually look like trees themselves. It’s impossible for any photo to do these behemoths justice, but the people in some of the shots below, and the fact that many of the large surrounding trees look like sticks next to the redwoods, help to provide a sense of scale.
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A few photos taken along San Francisco’s famous Lombard Street (the “crookedest street in the world”) during my visit in October 2014, including one heavily cropped photo of the twisty section from further up the road (if I had realized what I was looking at I could have zoomed in for a much better shot), and one night pic snapped while standing on the twisty section and looking out toward the bay.
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These photos are from my long walk out to the Golden Gate Bridge. I started at the Palace of Fine Arts and walked along the shore all the way out to the spot under the bridge where Kim Novak jumped into the water in “Vertigo.” Some photos looking back toward the city will give you an idea of the distance I walked.
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My drive back to San Francisco from Yosemite was quite an adventure. I took a scenic drive along Route 49, also known as the Gold Rush Trail, which winds up and down mountains, featuring beautiful scenery and numerous hairpin turns without any railings. The more treacherous turns are not pictured here because I was too busy trying to stay on the road to think about stopping to photograph them. 🙂
Most of the time I had the entire road to myself. When I stepped outside to take photos it was so quiet that I could hear a pin drop. Overall, it was definitely a detour worth taking. The road continues north well past where I exited; it would be cool to do the whole thing someday.
Click on any photo to open a gallery. The first photo is from the road out of Yosemite, the rest are from Route 49.
The gallery below features photos of the spectacular views from the top of Coit Tower (six of which were stitched together to form the nearly 360-degree panorama above). Also featured below are the Filbert Steps, which descend Telegraph Hill through a garden area. The steps are actually a pedestrian extension of Filbert Street. I walked up Telegraph Hill via Lombard Street to visit the tower, and then descended the hill via the steps, which seemed to be the easier approach.
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This is another set of photos from my ride along the California coast, courtesy of my cousin Tim, who picked me up in San Francisco to show me some of the beauty of southern California. This batch includes visits to a foggy beach, a lighthouse, and the city of Monterey. There’s also a rare photo of me (posing with my cousin in front of a restaurant that bears our family name—no relation, though).
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These photos are from my various walks along San Francisco Bay, including visits to Telegraph Hill, Fishermans Wharf, and Pier 39. The bay area of the city is a big reason why it is one of my favorite American cities I’ve visited, right behind Portland and on a par with Seattle.
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Some miscellaneous photos from my walks around San Francisco, including visits to the ferry marina, city hall, Ghirardelli Square, and the Westfield Mall.
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A few years ago I went on a business trip to San Francisco, where I decided to take a few extra days to myself to do some exploring. On my first day in San Francisco I met up with my cousin who lives nearby. He took me on a driving tour of the Pacific coast. These photos are from 17-Mile Drive, a scenic route along the Monterey peninsula, featuring rocky coastlines, large crashing waves; and islands of sea lions and birds.
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Michael Rappa 